Lot Essay
Okimasa is recorded as being a teacher at the National Technical School (1914-60).
Details
A KATANA
DATED 1939, SIGNED OITE TOYAMA MITSURU O TSUKAMOTO IKKANSHI OKIMASA SAKU
Configuration (sugata): with longitudinal ridge line (shinogi-zukuri), shallow peaked back (iori-mune) and medium point (chu-kissaki); length (nagasa): 2 shaku, 2 sun, 2 bu (67.3cm.); curvature (sori): koshi-zori of 1.5cm.; increase in width of blade (fumbari): 1.0cm.
Forging pattern (jihada): a very fine-grained burl (ko-mokume).
Tempering pattern (hamon): an irregular invected pattern (gonome) with excellent 'swept sands' (sunagashi) in ko-nie.
Point (boshi): midare-komi with small turn-back (ko-maru).
Tang (nakago). Shape (keitai): regular and ubu; file marks (yasurime): kiri-yasuri; end (nakagojiri): rounded (kuri-jiri); holes (mekugi-ana): one; signature (katana-mei): oite Toyma Mitsuru O Tsukamoto Ikkanshi Okimasa saku with stamped seal, Nihon Damashi (Spirit of Japan).
Shirasaya.
Silk storage bag.
DATED 1939, SIGNED OITE TOYAMA MITSURU O TSUKAMOTO IKKANSHI OKIMASA SAKU
Configuration (sugata): with longitudinal ridge line (shinogi-zukuri), shallow peaked back (iori-mune) and medium point (chu-kissaki); length (nagasa): 2 shaku, 2 sun, 2 bu (67.3cm.); curvature (sori): koshi-zori of 1.5cm.; increase in width of blade (fumbari): 1.0cm.
Forging pattern (jihada): a very fine-grained burl (ko-mokume).
Tempering pattern (hamon): an irregular invected pattern (gonome) with excellent 'swept sands' (sunagashi) in ko-nie.
Point (boshi): midare-komi with small turn-back (ko-maru).
Tang (nakago). Shape (keitai): regular and ubu; file marks (yasurime): kiri-yasuri; end (nakagojiri): rounded (kuri-jiri); holes (mekugi-ana): one; signature (katana-mei): oite Toyma Mitsuru O Tsukamoto Ikkanshi Okimasa saku with stamped seal, Nihon Damashi (Spirit of Japan).
Shirasaya.
Silk storage bag.
Provenance
Joseph U. Seo, New York